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2000
Volume 32, Issue 14
  • ISSN: 0929-8673
  • E-ISSN: 1875-533X

Abstract

Background

This study investigated the association of atorvastatin use on survival, need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and length of hospital stay (LOS) among COVID-19 inpatients.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted between March 20th, 2020, and March 18th, 2021, on patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to three hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The unadjusted and adjusted effects of atorvastatin on COVID-19 prognosis were investigated. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to achieve a 1:1 balanced dataset with a caliper distance less than 0.1 and the nearest neighbor method without replacement.

Results

Of 4322 COVID-19 patients, 2136 (49.42%) were treated with atorvastatin. After PSM, 1245 atorvastatin inpatients and 1245 controls were included with a median age of 62.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 51.0, 76.0) and 63.0 (IQR: 51.0, 75.0) years, respectively. The standardized mean differences were less than 0.1 for all confounders, suggesting a good covariate balance. The use of atorvastatin was associated with decreased COVID-19 mortality (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.68-0.95), whereas no relationship was found between atorvastatin and the need for ICU admission (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.99-1.47). LOS was significantly higher in the atorvastatin cohort than controls (Atorvastatin . others: 7 [5, 11] . 6 [4, 10] days; = 0.003). The survival rate was higher in combination therapy of atorvastatin plus enoxaparin than in those who received atorvastatin alone (-value=0.001).

Conclusion

Atorvastatin may reduce the risk of COVID-19 in-hospital mortality and could be a beneficial option for an add-on therapy. Randomized trials are warranted to confirm the results of the current observational studies.

© 2025 Bentham Science Publishers
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Atorvastatin Effect on COVID-19 Outcomes: A Propensity Score Matched Study on Hospitalized Patients
Curr. Med. Chem. 32, 2824 (2025); https://doi.org/10.2174/0109298673264305231025093939
/content/journals/cmc/10.2174/0109298673264305231025093939
/content/journals/cmc/10.2174/0109298673264305231025093939
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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): Atorvastatin; COVID-19; enoxaparin; hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors; mortality; propensity score; SARS-CoV-2

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